Source: Chinese national acquitted for attempted murder -Newsday Zimbabwe
GWERU regional magistrate Christopher Maturure on Wednesday acquitted Chinese national Liu Haifeng, who was facing a charge of attempted murder.
The State alleged that in January this year, Liu (52) allegedly fired gunshots at Kholwani Dube, an employee at Ming Chang Sino Africa Bijou Farm, located on the outskirts of Gweru in the Midlands province following a labour dispute.
In his ruling, Maturure said Dube was actually the aggressor in the incident.
He also ruled that the second State witness failed to corroborate evidence submitted by the complainant.
Haifeng was being represented by lawyers from Gundu, Dube and Pamacheche Legal Practitioners.
The State’s case was that on January 21, 2025, at around 4pm, Liu, a farm manager at Bijou Farm in Lower Gweru, fired three shots towards Dube following a misunderstanding.
This happened after Liu had assigned Dube a task, which he allegedly refused to execute, before he was served with a suspension letter.
The State heard that Dube refused to leave the workplace without his salary.
During the altercation, another Chinese, Wang Jun, a stores man, arrived at the scene and allegedly joined in the fight.
That is when Liu dropped his pistol and Wang picked it and pointed it at Dube’s head before pressing him to the ground and tying him with a wire.
In his defence, Liu said he only fired two warning shots in the air after Dube turned violent, threatening to run over his Chinese bosses with a grader.
Monica Mungwena prosecuted.
Last week, the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) expressed concern over the use of firearms by Chinese nationals and disregard of the country’s laws.
The latest incident is the fatal shooting last week of Pardon Gumbo (31), an artisanal miner, by Yang Zhian at their Long Fortune Mine at Colleen Bawn in Gwanda.
Another was the tragic death of Taurai Dzova, a Zimbabwean employed by Sino Africa reported at Bijour Farm, Lower Gweru, where a hastened agreement of compensation to his family raised eyebrows.
There are several other incidents where Chinese nationals were found wanting on matters to do with labour rights violations.
“The commission also notes the disturbing reports involving the use of firearms by Chinese nationals in Zimbabwe,” the rights body said in a statement.
“Such actions contravene Zimbabwe’s culture of responsible gun ownership and our legal framework.
“Foreign nationals operating in Zimbabwe and locals alike must adhere strictly to our laws and respect human life.”
ZHRC said it would engage the Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe over the matter.
There are several reports of Chinese miners clashing with their employees over labour issues.
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